Category: Superminis 
Price Range: £10,495 to £15,695
Stylish design, excellent handling characteristics, strong diesels, EuroNCAP results.
Non-turbo petrols not as sprightly as they could be, could be issues over electrics.
The 207 brings Peugeot back to the forefront of the supermini sector with a healthy dash of Gallic flair.
Peugeot has a long history of producing well-balanced cars with excellent handling characteristics and the 207 is no exception.
The 207 has a wider track and longer wheelbase than the 206 (+38mm and +97mm respectively) which gives it a larger footprint on the road, thereby giving better stability and balance. The McPherson strut front suspension carries over from the 206 with a few tweaks to improve steering response. A compact torsion beam suspension system (as found on the 307) has been fitted at the rear and equips the 207 with good body control with minimal body roll through corners.
As is becoming commonplace in superminis, an electric power steering setup is used. But, unlike other systems that can feel numb, Peugeot has worked hard to deliver a natural steering feel. As you progress through corners, the 207's steering weights up nicely and gives good feedback about the amount of grip left. The steering does, however, self-centre a little too aggressively, which can be slightly disconcerting when tackling a combination of corners. It does, though, allow for easy cruising on the motorway as you don't have to keep correcting the steering to stay in a lane.
The 207 carries over the five-speed manual gearboxes from the 206, complete with their notchy action. This is the only hitch in what is an overall exemplary driving experience.
On slippery roads the ESP (standard on GT, optional on others) is quick to react, quelling understeer well. That said, the threshold of intervention is high enough to keep an enthusiastic driver entertained.
The petrol range kicks off with an 8-valve 1.4-litre that produces 75bhp and a maximum of 90lb ft of torque at 3300rpm. This gives the 207 a rather lethargic 0-62mph time of 15.6secs and a top speed of 104mph.
The mid-range petrol is a 16-valve version of the 1.4 that gives 90bhp and 98lb ft of torque at 3250rpm. Things improve with the 0-62mph sprint taking 12.7secs and a top speed of 112mph. And the high-power petrol at launch is a 110bhp 1.6-litre petrol that has 108lb ft of torque at 4000rpm. The 0-62mph run is a respectable 10.7secs and top speed is 121mph.
The entry level diesel is a 1.4-litre 70bhp HDi engine with 118lb ft of torque at 2000rpm. The 0-62mph benchmark takes 15.1secs and it'll run out of steam at 103mph. Two 1.6-litre HDi diesels are offered with 90 or 110bhp and 158 or 177lb ft of torque respectively. The 0-62mph times are 11.5 and 10.1secs, top speeds 113 and 120mph respectively. The 110bhp version also has an overboost function giving an extra 15lb ft of torque under full throttle.
Because of the bigger torque figures available from lower in the rev range, the diesels feel much stronger on the road than their petrol counterparts. Inclines and motorway overtaking manoeuvres require less stick-shifting and are much more relaxed events in the oil burners.
A turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine co-developed between Peugeot-Citroen and BMW is offered in two states of tune - 150 and 175bhp, this engine is also offered in the Mk2 Mini. The former is available as the 207 GT Turbo and has a 0-62mph time of 8.7secs. Read our seperate driven piece for more on this model. The higher powered version will be fitted in the forthcoming 207 GTi which is due in 2007.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Peugeot 207
wrote on 25 08 2006